Ironing device



E; E- FOSTER lRONINQQDEvIcE Row Jan. 7, 1936;

E. E'. FOSTER IRONING DEVICE Filed Aug, 1, 1955` 5 Sheets-.Sheet` 2 Edwin E. f'oser;

v15W Z.. Qc Q W ATTQRNEY IN VEN TOR.

Patented Jan. 7, 193e f I momo. DEVICE Inawinnromr, Austin, Tex. application August 1, 1933; sei-m No. 683,218

a a "is'ciiiiis,

The present invention relates to a mechanical iron, preferablyof the electric type, in which the weight chancal arm.

`'l'he object of' theinvention is to provide an 4iron with a mechanical armV which will assist in the work of operating "the iron. i A still further object is to make the iron as light as possible,

that is lighter than irons used vheretofore for the `same work, and to compensate for the 4 eightnecessary for ironing by utilizing the we ght of the "mechanical arm` on the iron to bring the weight "of theiron tothe amount required or necessary. Another objectof the present invention` is to provide an iron in which most of the weight en countered in lifting and lowering the iron to and board is compensated for by from the ironing i mechanical means to lighten this work incidentto a manipulation of the ironbetween actual ironing. Other objects will be apparent from the following `description taken in connection with the ,accompanyingdrawings l l f a. In. the drawings in which thesame reference characters indicatecorresponding parts:

" Figure 1 isa longitudinalsectional view show# ing the iron andthe working mechanism therefor, i i l Fig. 2f is a lateral sectional view taken on line 2-,2 of Fig. 1, 1 Fig. 3 is a lateral sectional view takenon line 33oifil"ig.1f,A i l j I LFig. 4 is a plan View of the device mounted `on a table with an ironing board,

` Fig. 5 is a side View thereof, Fig. 6 is an endview of Fig.,4,

Fig. '7 is a plan view of Fig. 4 with parts in folded position,

Fig. 8 is a side view Fig. 9 is an end view of. Figs. 'I' and 8,

thereof,

e `keeping it suspendedin mid-air while the gar- .50 ment `or other object is being changed, also presses downward on the iron at the proper time. i Therefore, theiron, which maybe aslight as two or three pounds, will be supplied with enough extra pressure from this arm to give it the effec- 55 tive Vworking pressure p1.' `a ten or fteen pound oi the iron is counterbalanced by a mea (ci. sii-9i iron. The-fact that this iron will have suiiicient pressure will `make it unnecessary to supply the extra currentlnow common in feather weight irons. The iron may use 600 watts instead of` 1000 watts, making it more economical and also 5 cooler to operate. y

Another advantage in making the iron as light as possible and supplying v.the `pressure with the mechanical arm isthe elimination of the effort of starting andfstopping the "heavy reciprocating 10 weight. `A two poundiron supplied with additional pressure of thirteen pounds bythe arm is more easily moved back and forth than an iron which actually weighs fifteen pounds, due-to not having to overcome the i inertia of the heavy 15 weight. I Since` the arm permits the iron to be lifted and `released. in mid-air as `though it were without weight, and since the arm*y supplies adequate pressure to the iron when in operatinn, it is possible for 20 Athe operator to iron comfortably while sitting down in front -of the ironing table. A .practical arrangement, therefore, is one as shown in Figs. 4

to 9 of the drawings, vThe low table with four folding legs has the'ironing board rmounted per- 25 manently on the top, while the mechanism folds Vinto a compact Vunit as shown.

i The ironing device is so constructed that the electric cord is kept out of the operators way and will last longer due to this protection. 'I'he iron 30 is not apt to fall oi the board onto the floor, `and iire hazard is lessened. due to thezfact that the iron isalways-oi the boardwhen not inuse. This will eliminate scorched ironing board covers.

Practically all of the working mechanism is in- 35 side the stationary casing I, which is mounted or secured to the ironing table 34 by means of the bracket or bar 2 secured to the casing. Oneiend of thisbar is xed to a hinge 3, which is bolted I to the table `with onebolt I so that the bar may 40 rotate `around this bolt as a pivot point. A

- U-shaped clamp 5 .is also secured to the-table by one bolt 6, and provided with a thumb screw or winged nut 1. This clamp holds the bar 2 as shown in- Figs. 4 to 6 inthe ironing position, and 45 holds the two-part arm 35 when the device is in the folded position, as in Figs. 7 to 9. The casing I is provided withtwo sets of rollers 9 mounted in arms 3B secured to the inner wall of the casing. As shown in Fig. 2, each set is composed of four rollers arranged so that thev vertical square tube II may move up and down but cannot revolve.

a A pin` I2 andthe ratchet trackrl are secured on the inner walls of the casing I, as shown in Figs. `l and 3. Such working parts as the cam 56 are eccentrically mounted on pins or axles'25 and f drums or wheels I4 and I5, the brackets I6 and I1, and the-lever I8 on bracket I1, move with and are mounted on the vertical tube Il. The upper end of thetube II is provided with a bearing 20 into which fits the sleeve member I9 on which the rear arm 2l of the two-part supporting arm 35 is fixed. A set screw 22 extends into a circular groove 31 in the sleeve member I9 to prevent the member I 9 from slipping out of the tube H, as shown in Fig. 10. The. elbow 38 of the mechanical supporting arm 35 is provided with ball bearings 39, as shown in lig. 1.

The iron t0 is mounted on the forward arm M of the two-part arm 35 by means of a cup-shaped socket d2. A part-spherical bolt d3 seats in the socket and by means of a suitable nut M the arm 4l is secured so that the iron may have a pivotal motion to accommodate uneven surfaces and different thicknesses of garments to be ironed, this latter being made possible by an enlarged opening in the bottom of the socket 42 through which the bolt d3 is passed with clearance. The handle d5 is pivotally mounted on the iron at the upper rear end 22 by means of a suitably bent arm 68,' and the electric cord 66 may be carried to the iron on the inside of the arms 2I andflI to enter the iron at 41 so that it will be conveniently out oi the way as well as protected. The handle t5 and the arm 48 are provided with a contact arm 59 which projects to and above the center of the socket t2.

.A leverage system 50 is provided from the handle of the iron to the counterbalancing mechanism in the casing I on the tube II. This system consists of/'a forward operating lever 5I in and pivoted near the forward or iron end of the arm '5I by means of a bearing 3i having an off-center and pivoted connection (not shown), a short connecting rod 52 in the elbow 38,' a rear operating lever 52 pivoted in the rear arm 2l at 54, and a connecting rod 55 inthe tube II connecting one A end of the lever 53 to the drum I5. The lever 53 has a suitable socket 56 at each end to` accommodate a ball 57 on the ends of rods 52 and 55 in order to take vcare of the rotation of the twopart arm 35 around the end of the tube II as an axis and therotation of the two parts of ther arm relative to one another. As clearly s een in Fig. 1, the end of the arm i9 contacts a ball member 5S 'on the end of lever 5I so that when downward pressure is applied on the handle d5, as when the iron reaches the garment to -be ironed, the arm t2 will slightly rotate thel lever 5I around SI, causing an upward movement of the rod 52, a slight rotation of the lever 53 around 52, and a downward movement of the rod 55.

In the casing I two drums or pulleys I t and I5 23, respectively, which are secured on, and preferably extend through, the tube II, as shown, for instance, in connection with drum Iii and pin 25 in Fig. 3. The pin oraxle 23 is provided with a. suitable crank 55 on the inside ofthetube II to which the end of the rod 55 is connected. A cable and spring system is placed in the casing, and,l as shown in Fig. 1, one end at pin I2 of the cable 22 is xed to the casing I. The cable runs around the drum i5 and is secured thereto at the point 25. This cable then runsupwardly to the spring 2 and around the drum i5. The cable is secured to the drum I5 at the point 59 and then runs downwardly to one end of the spring 22 which is secured at the other end to .a ratchet lever I5. The springs 2l and 28 are of practically the same strength. Another spring 29, which,

however, is much lighter, is secured at one end to the same end of the lever I8 and at the other end to a lug I6 secured to the tube II.

As clearly indicated in Fig. 3, the lever I8 is pivoted at Sli on a plate I'I which is secured to the tube Il. The ratchet member 35 is pivotally mounted at 6I on the lever I8 and is spring pressed outwardly by means of spring S2.. A stop G3 is provided on the plate I1 to limit the movement of the ratchet member 30. 'I'he ratchet track I3 is secured on the inside of the casing I, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The system of levers and connecting rods 50 connects the handle 25 of the iron t to the drum I5 in such a way that when the iron is adjacent the ironing board and one-third of a revolution.

When the iron G0 is in the upper 0r "at rest" position, as shown in Figs. l and 5, all three of the springs 21, 28 and 29 are normal or have very little tension. When the iron is moved downward approaching the ironing board, the cable 2a, being held at I2 to the` casing I, will causethe drum Ill to revolve counter-clockwise about onehalf of a revolution and thereby stretch the spring 21 about two inches to increase the tension, the drum I5, springs 28 and 25, and lever I5 moving down with the tube II. The upper end of the spring ZIremains practically stationary with relation to the tube I I during this movement of the drum It. 1

The reason the upper end of the spring 22 remains stationary with relation to member Il is because it is now on the short end of the lever formed by the drum I5, considering the distance between the pin 23 laterally to the right and left. The springs 28 and 29 are connected end to end to the long end of the lever formed' by the camshaped drum i 5. Therefore, even though the spring 2 is stretched two inches as the iron is moved downward two inches, it is balanced by the springs 28 and 29 on the long end of thelever without the springs being stretched at all, considering, of course, an initial slight tension tending to keep the coils together already existing in the drum I 5 remains stationary in relation to the vertical tube II, that is non-rotary, .while the vdrum I t revolves back and forth in such a way that the lever arms change -with the different positions of the stroke to compensate for the difference intension of the spring 21. Due to the compensating cam-shaped kdrum, It, the spring 21 gives theiron the eiect of being counterbalanced or weightless during its entire vertical stroke.

Now, when the iron is on the garment and the spring 2i is stretched about two inches and is under quite a tension, as explained in the foregoing, the tendency of the spring 2l toi'revolve the drum I5 counter-clockwise is slightly more than balanced by springs 28 and 29. Therefore, the weight of the operators hand upon the handle d5 of the iron at this time is necessary to cause the drum i5 to revolve counter-clockwise about one-third of a revolution, due to the leverage system 5c and the crank 58. The spring 27 will now change from a stretched to an unstretched condition by its upper end being lowered about twol inches (Fig. 11). The potential energy that was stored up in the spring 2i will have been transferred over into the spring 28 by stretching the latter about two inches. The lower end of spring 2li,V whichis fastened to the lever which the arm is rotatably mounted. the axis of i8, will now move upward a short distance, pulling with it the lever llrotating, around pivot 60,

"until the pawl 30has` engaged with-rgne of the teeth of the ratchet track I3.' The tensioriyin the spring 28 will nowcause the iron to press down-y ward upon thegarment with ten to fteen pounds pressure through the tube `I I and the mechanical arm 35, as shown in'Fig. 11, This pressure is made adjustable by means of the oit-center connection of the bearing 3| in the leverage system in order toplace the `desired pressureon the iron. When the connection set so that the bearing is lower,` theny the downwardmovement of the handle of the iron will notcausea full one-third turn ofthe` drum l5 andthere willi be less `tension on the spring 28. This adjustment When the operator wishes to lift the iron, he

tlie handle of the iron will then ,move-slightly" :7, `upward,allowinggthe` drum I5 torevolveclock-`- wise toits originalposition dueto the leverage system, and the spring 21 will then lift the" iron.

The purpose of the `relatively weak `springf29 is i to holdthe lever ldo'wnward against the stop 3`2` on the tube I'I, except when the drum I5,` is revolved counter-clockwise.` ,There` are a number:

ofteeth in the ratchet track I3 in orden to" take care ofthe different thicknesses `of the material i to be ironed. i

. `I claim as my inventionzi 1. An ironing device comprising an iron having amovable handle; a supporting arm, connecterziv Vto the iron and movable so that the" iron may be moved laterallyand lengthwise on an ironing board; a casing by which thel supporting arm `is carried; means. in the casing to counterbalance` 11 the weight of the iron and arm whenjraising and loweringn the iron and arm; and means operable bythe a'ctuation of the handle` relativevltothe "iron and passing through the supporting 4arm to remove the influence of the counterbalancewhen,f

the iron is adjacent the material to beironed;` l

2. An ironing device comprising an' iron havingy a movable handle; a jointed Iarm /f'or 4,supporting pensating for the weight oithe Aarm vand `viron l fwhen raising and lowering" theironnlandern-1:`

Aand means 'operable by the actuationof the han-' 1.a movable handle; afjointed' arm for.slippfortingl dle relative to theiron to remove the'iniiuence of the means for compensating for the weight of the Varm and iron when the iron is adjacent the material to be ironed and to add ironing pressure on the iron.

3.,Anironing devicecomprising anironhaving ,1vr y 4 membei'fand having a plurality o f tension springs I 'connected thereto, said-'cable passing around the l :the iron and movable so that "1 the ironmay f be v moved laterallyand lengthwise on yanironing y board; means by. which vthe arm is `movablya` o5 mountedj'fmeans in the `arm mounting for compensating' for the weight` o! the iron when raising and lowering the iro'n and arm; `and means operable by the actuation of the handle relative lftoithe iron to remove the inuence oi the means for'compensating for'the lweight of the iron springs Adue tothe eccentric mounting of the .pulleys to counterbalancethe weight of the iron `the`` iron is on the garment and the handle is rotation of the arm `being in the longitudinal axis of the member; a casing for supporting the member and having means therein `for the verticalmovement of the member; means in the 6 Vcasingancl mounted on the member to counterbalance the weighto'i the ironand arm when raising and lowering the iron; and means operableby the handle `through the arm to remove the iniluence of the,` counterbalance `when the viron is adjacent the material to be ironed and to add ironing pressure on the iron.

`5. An ironing device according to claim 4, in which theA counterbalance means includes a plul rality of spring'sland means for operatively con- 15 necting thel springs to the member and tothe y ing the iron; a vertically movable member on which `the arm `is` rotatably mounted; a casing for supporting the member and having means 30 therein `for the vertical movement o'f the meml berl a pair of pulleys rotatably and eccentrically mounted on the member; a cable having one end secured to the casing and the other end to the member and having a plurality of tension springs connected to the cable and the pulleys, said cable passing around` the pulleys and being secured thereto; and means in the arm operable by the handle to rotate one of the pulleys to tension the and arm when raising and lowering the iron and toitransfer' the tension of the springs to another to, apply a force on the iron by the arm when pressed.

8. An ironing device according to claim '7, in which the means includes a plurality of levers and rods extending from the iron to one of the eccentric pulleys to` transfer the handle movement 50 tothe last-named pulley.

"9; Anironing device comprising an iron havh 'inga movable handle; a movable arm for supporting the iron; a vertically movable member on which thearm is rotatably mounted;, a casing 55 for supporting the member and having means therein for the vertical movement of the member; a pair `of pulleys rotatably and eccentrically` vmounted on themember; a cable having one end secured to the casing and the other end to the o0 pulleysfandbeing secured thereto; a ratchet deto prevent upwardmovement of the member relative to the casing; and means in the arm `operable by the handle to rotate one of the pul- 7o leys to tension the springs to counterbalance the weight of the iron and arm when raising and lwering. the iron and to transfer the tension oi a movable handle;v amotatable armv forsupport-eV /fthe springs to another due to the eccentric mountingy the iron; IaH vertically movable member in 'f ing of the pulleys to add to the weight of the i5 iron when the iron is on the garment and the `handle is pressed.

ironed and to add ironing pressure on the iron.

11. An ironing device comprising an iron having a movable handle; an arm for supporting the iron and movable so that the iron may be moved laterally and lengthwise on an ironing board; meansfor counterbalancing the weight oi the iron and arm when raising and lowering the iron and arm; and means independent of the operation but in the arm operable by the acutation of the handle relative to the iron to remove the iniiuence of the counterbalance and to add to the weight of the iron and lever when the iron is adjacent the material to'be ironed and to add ironing pressure on the iron.

12. An ironing device comprising an iron having a movable handle and mounted on an arm which supports the iron and movable so that the iron may be moved laterally and lengthwise on an ironing board; counterbalance means associated with the arm to counterbalance the weight oi' the iron when raising and lowering the iron; and means in the arm but operable independent thereof to remove the influence of the counterbalance or to bring the counterbalance eiect into action relative to the iron, which is controlled by the handle when the iron is on the material to be ironed or the ironing has been completed and to add ironing pressure on the iron.

13. An ironing device according to claim '1, in which a ratchet device is provided mounted on a lever to maintain one of the springs under tension to add to the effective weight of the iron while ironing, and a spring for the ratchet lever to force the ratchet out of its track when the iron is raised.

14. An ironing device according to claim 12, in

which the arm is in the form of a double jointed arm having an elbow.

l5. An ironing device comprising an iron having a movable actuator; an ann for supporting the iron and movable so that the iron may be 5 moved laterally and lengthwise on an ironing board; means for counterbalancing the weight of the iron and arm; means to eiect ironing pressure on the iron; and means operable by the movement of the actuator of the iron to transfer 10 the energy of the counterbalance means to the second mentioned means when the iron is on the material to be ironed.

16. An ironing device comprising an iron having a movable handle; an arm for supporting the iron and movable so that the iron may be moved laterally and lengthwise on an ironing board; means for counterbalancing the weight of the iron and arm; and means operable by the movement of the handle of the iron relative to the 20 iron to remove the iniluence of the counterbalance when the iron is adjacent the material to be ironed and to apply ironing pressure to the iron by means of the arm to add to the weight of the iron for the ironing pressure. 25

17. An ironing device comprising a member on which an iron is provided, a pair of pulleys eccentrically and rotatably mountedon the member, a pair of springs between the pulleys and on opposite sides thereof, a cable passing around 30 the pulleys and connected to the springs to form a continuous spring and cable system of which one end of the system is secured to 'the member and the other end to a fixed point, one of the springs being under tension to effect a counterbalanced position of the iron and member, and means actuated from the iron for rotating one of said pulleys to transfer the energy in the tensioned spring to the other spring to remove the counterbalancing force and to utilize the energy in the last-mentioned spring to eiect an ironing pressure on the iron.

18. An ironing device according to claim 17, in which the iron is supported by a jointed arm and lin which the actuating means are mechanical eledB ments passing through the arm and the joints thereof.

EDWIN E. FOSTER. 

